LETTER: Gary Wood is running for Burien City Council, Position #1

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written by a Reader. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The B-Town Blog nor its staff. During this election year, we are allowing each Burien City Council candidate one chance to introduce themselves in this manner as a public service at no charge:]

What an election we’re having this year! There are 12 unique candidates running for 3 open positions for Burien City Council, which I am sure is a new record.

My name is Gary Wood, and I am running for Position 1 with four other diverse candidates. There is a Republican, a Democrat + Union Organizer, a Libertarian, an idealist, and then there is me; a true non-partisan independent voice. I have worked my entire life being action-oriented, creating innovation and working for concensus in a very competitive software company.

I’m reaching out to the voters who have realized that political affillation and single issue coalitions are not solving our issues. These polarized groups and individuals are representative of the grid-lock that keeps the State and Federal government ineffectual. We need not to duplicate this disfunction on our local City Council.

I come from humble roots where I grew up in a tight-knit small town in Arkansas with only 2,500 people and we all looked out for each other. Burien has the same small town character where everyone is proud to live here. I have found myself and my wife, Mika love this community and want Burien not to turn into just another suburb of Seattle implementing the same failed policies. We need to start now by choosing the right council members that can work together toward a common future, and take a different path than taken by Seattle .

I have the utmost admiration and respect for the Burien police officers. They put their lives on the line every day so that our community can be safe from crime and dangerous criminals. There are needs for changes where swift and effective justice will come down on criminals making Burien the last place to commit a crime. I’m a strong advocate of an effective police and criminal justice system in Burien where neither politics nor lack of resources will stand in the way to make Burien safe.

I would like to see our City Council providing a vision told as a story where residents can see what Burien will look like in the next 20 years. For me, I envison a city where companies, parks, retail businesses, eclectic shops, restaurants, residential units/homes, schools and churches all can co-exist in a livable eco-System where you reach any of these facets within an enjoyable 20 minute walk; a community where many of our residents in the future won’t have to commute to Seattle everyday because major healthcare and technology centers are located in Burien.

The voters have now received their ballots and can make a choice. Do you want political candidates that propose political solutions? Or, do you want execution oriented Council-members that build and create solutions for our community? It’s time we take control away from political parties and unions that have hidden agendas and let true non-partisans steer Burien’s future.

Comments

Here’s another candidate that has a 425 area code on there contact information and has only lived in burien for 3 years. But thinks they know all the problems and can fix all the problems in burien.

Lives in a house worth $800,000

I seen this with other candidates to that have only lived here about as long as some of Burien issue’s made to the local news stations.

We must keep a eye out for outside influences from these candidates. As in pacs and dirty political garbage. People that don’t really care for burien it’s just a stop for a couple of years in there political career.

question for the candidates….at 15675 ambaum blvd sw( high line administrative bldg) there is a homeless person sleeping or camping out in the bushes. In 4/5 days , twice, there have been a cops, fired truck, and an ambulance showed up, and twice the ambulance took the person to wherever. However about 3/4 hours later that same person is in that same bushes…what could and will the city council do for the citizens who live nearby with families with small children. He sleep/camp out like its his home and liter in the bushes (also a few time cross the fence into our property) we have private property sign but they still cross over to walk to wherever they need to go. Do i have to be attack or get hurt before something is done..?